Three Buddy Problem

Can Apple's New Anti-Exploit Tech Stop iPhone Spyware Attacks?

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 61: We cover a pair of software supply chain breaches (Salesforce Salesloft Drift and NPM/GitHub) that raises big questions about SaaS integrations and the ripple effects across major security vendors. Plus, Apple’s new Memory Integrity Enforcement in iPhone 17 and discussion on commercial spyware infections and the value of Apple notifications; concerns around Chinese hardware and surveillance equipment in US infrastructure; Silicon Valley profiting from China’s surveillance ecosystem; and controversy around a Huntress disclosure of an attacker’s operations after an EDR agent was mistakenly installed. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.Links:Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)Salesforce advisory on Salesloft Drift hackSalesloft Drift Breach TrackerMandiant Drift and Salesloft Application InvestigationsWidespread Data Theft Targets Salesforce Instances via Salesloft DriftLarge-Scale NPM AttackNPM attack failed, with almost no victimsChinese Hackers Pretended to Be a Top U.S. LawmakerCzech cyber agency warns against using services and products that send data to ChinaApple Debuts Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE)Huntress: An Attacker’s Blunder Gave Us a Look Into Their OperationsLABScon 2025 Agenda

Salt Typhoon IOCs, Google floats ‘cyber disruption unit’, WhatsApp 0-click

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 60: We dissect a fresh multi-agency Salt Typhoon advisory (with IOCs and YARA rules!), why it landed late, why the wall of logos matters (and doesn’t), and what’s actually usable for defenders: new YARA, tool hashes, naming ambiguity across reports, the mention of Chinese vendors, and a Dutch note that smaller ISPs were hit. Plus, Costin details his hunting stack and philosophy (historic IOC/malware hoarding, fast pivots, and AI as analyst “wingman”) and a new Chinese APT report that may intersect with LightBasin and the murky PSOA world. We also debate Google’s proposed “cyber disruption unit” versus Microsoft’s DCU (legal vs. “ethical” takedowns, PR, and business models); react to Anthropic’s report on real attacker use of Claude; note Amazon’s APT29 watering-hole disruption; and close on a fresh WhatsApp-to-ImageIO zero-click chain and practical phone OPSEC. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.Links:Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)NSA, Allies Report on Salt TyphoonUK and allies expose China tech companiesJoint Advisory on Salt Typhoon (IOCs)Dutch providers targeted by Salt TyphoonSilent Control: The Hidden Penetration of MystRodXGoogle previews cyber ‘disruption unit'Anthropic report on misuse of Claude AIWhatsApp 0day exploited (iOS attack chain)RationalEdge - Intelligence Meets AccuracyLABScon Speakers 2025

Zero-day reality check: iOS exploits, MAPP in China and the hack-back temptation

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 59: Apple drops another emergency iOS patch and we unpack what that “may have been exploited” language really means: zero-click chains, why notifications help but forensics don’t, and the uncomfortable truth that Lockdown Mode is increasingly the default for high-risk users. We connect the dots from ImageIO bugs to geopolitics, discuss who’s likely using these exploits, why Apple’s guidance stops short, and the practical playbook (ADP on, reboot often, reduce attack surface) that actually works. Plus, we debate Microsoft throttling MAPP access for Chinese vendors, the idea of “letters of marque” for cyber (outsourced offense: smart deterrent or Pandora’s box?), and dissect two case studies that blur APT and crimeware: PipeMagic’s CLFS zero-day and Russia-linked “Static Tundra” riding seven-year-old Cisco bugs. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.Links:Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)Apple bulletin: iOS 18.6.2Apple discloses actively exploited zero-day affecting iOS, iPadOS and macOSUK drops demand for backdoor into Apple encryptionTulsi Gabbard on UK dropping Apple backdoor mandateMicrosoft Curbs Early Notifications for Chinese Firms on Security FlawsKaspersky report on PipeMagicMicrosoft: Dissecting PipeMagic Backdoor FrameworkCisco Talos on Static Tundra FBI advisory on end-of-life network devicesSIM-Swapper, Scattered Spider Hacker Gets 10 YearsQubic Claims Majority Control of Monero Hashrate, Raising 51% Attack FearsState of Statecraft Call for PapersLABScon 2025 Speaker RosterOffensive AI ConThree Buddy Problem: LIVE in Canada

On AI’s future, security’s failures, and what comes next...

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 58: The buddies react to the Brandon Dixon episode, digging into what it’s really like to scale products inside a tech giant, navigate politics, and bring features to millions of machines. Plus, an exploration of the AI cybersecurity gold rush, the promise and hype, and the gamble for startups versus the slow-moving advantage of incumbents. We revisit the Chinese "cyber militia" discussion and the looming AI “dot-com bubble,” the value of owning infrastructure, Nvidia and export controls, China’s manufacturing edge, and the geopolitics of supply chains. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.Links:Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)Live from Black Hat: Brandon DixonPSIRT | FortiGuard LabsSonicWall Firewalls – SSLVPN Recent Threat ActivityCisco CVSS 1.0 RCEMargin Research: Cyber Militias ReduxRussia Is Suspected to Be Behind Breach of Federal Court Filing SystemRussian hackers seized control of Norwegian damPoland foiled cyberattack on big city's water supplyEU Parliament pressing for agreement on chat scanning billLABScon 2025

Live from Black Hat: Brandon Dixon parses the AI security hype

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 57: Brandon Dixon (PassiveTotal/RiskIQ, Microsoft) leads a deep-dive into the collision of AI and cybersecurity. We tackle Google’s “Big Sleep” project, XBOW’s HackerOne automation hype, the long-running tension between big tech ownership of critical security tools and the community’s need for open access. Plus, the future of SOC automation to AI-assisted pen testing, how agentic AI could transform the cyber talent bottlenecks and operational inefficiencies, geopolitical debates over backdoors in GPUs and the strategic implications of China’s AI model development. Cast: Brandon Dixon, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, and Ryan Naraine.Links:Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)Brandon Dixon | LinkedInGoogle 'Big Sleep' AI Issue TrackerXBOW - The road to Top 1: How XBOW did itDoes “XBOW AI Hacker” Deserve the Hype?XBOW - Taking the Top Hacker in the US to New Heights: XBOW Raises $75M Series BNVIDIA: No Backdoors. No Kill Switches. No Spyware Nvidia reiterates its chips have no backdoors, urges US against location verificationGoogle: Our Big Sleep agent makes a big leapMicrosoft announces acquisition of RiskIQ RiskIQ attack surface managementBrandon Dixon (SecurityConversations podcast)Project Zero: A deep dive into an NSO zero-click iMessage exploit: Remote Code Execution